


Date Gone Perfect

by TururaJ



Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Hurt/Comfort, InaSureIna, M/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, a bit of angst, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 22:24:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TururaJ/pseuds/TururaJ
Summary: “Everything is a first with you, Inaho. But I have yet to regret a single thing."





	Date Gone Perfect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hakumei_hogosha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hakumei_hogosha/gifts).



> Dear Hak-san! Please, have the happiest of Birthdays!  
> I'm not sure I went exactly where you wanted with the 'being stranded under the rain', and I think the boys turned out to be way too cheesy, but I really-really hope you'll have fun reading this! Stay strong and healthy and may all the positive and heartwarming things possible become a constant in your life! Happy Birthday! ❤

Inaho wants everything to be perfect. He is a bit surprised at his own behavior, but meeting Troyard has changed him. Before, he’d never even think of taking someone out on a date. Why spend time and money on it for the sheer purpose of having sex later? ‘Very illogical’ as he used to say, but then Troyard would offer him a snort and take Inaho out to see a movie, or a theatre concert, or that peculiar book exhibition, and Inaho would agree, that, yes, spending time with Slaine before having sex with him is nice and enjoyable as much as the sex is (even though Inaho made fifty or so arguments over the implausibility of the sci-fi movie; and Slaine had to pinch his thigh fifty or so times so that he wouldn’t fall asleep at the theatre concert).

Inaho thinks Slaine Troyard is the most wonderful thing that had happened to him throughout his life (though Yuki being happy in the marriage with Yagarai Soma comes pretty close). The realization, however, took a lot of time (‘Three years, Kaizuka! Three years! Thank God, not twenty! I thought I’d go mad!’). True, they had sex before the official start of their relationship, but it took Inaho three years to reach the enlightenment (it was a usual day; he woke up first, looked at Slaine’s beautiful face and thought how wonderful it would be to see Slaine by his side every morning). Now Inaho feels like he has a lot of catching up to do.

“You’re always taking me out. Let me organize the next date,” Inaho tells Slaine one day after they get to the bed, Slaine’s head nestling on his shoulder (Slaine likes touching him, sitting or lying or standing together with him, and every time Inaho remembers Slaine’s past he can feel the lump in his throat. Yet, he forces himself to swallow the fury; there is nothing he is able to change).

“Are you sure?” the sleepy reply comes. “Work’s been rough on you lately. And I’m sure you’ll overthink the whole deal.”

“Yes. I’ll make it perfect.”

Slaine laughs for whatever reason but gives his approval, and Inaho is more than happy to proceed with his plans.

He wants everything to be perfect. He compares their work schedules, takes a small vacation and finds a perfect place for a reasonable price (they both prefer to save the money even though their salaries are good). Inaho knows Slaine loves nature and animals, and a three-day stay at the horse ranch resort seems like a perfect choice. He prepares car, food, and clothes. He also double checks the route to the ranch - it should be a picturesque road amidst the boundless fields and groves.

“I told you you’d overthink this,” Slaine chuckles. It is the day of their departure, but Slaine doesn’t look unhappy. On the contrary, he keeps crumpling the picturesque booklets excitedly, telling Inaho that he’d go horse riding as soon as they get there. Inaho takes the driver’s seat and starts the car. The sky above is blue; the sun is shining brightly; the city is free of traffic jams. Everything is perfect and going according to plan.

They are halfway to the destination when everything begins slowly crumbling apart. First Inaho notices that his mobile phone has no network; he’s been checking the route to the resort with the help of the online map, and he is immediately glad that he had printed the map as a precaution. He asks Slaine to get it from the glove box, and Slaine does. But Slaine feels too playful to give it to him, and five minutes later Inaho has to stop the car for the purpose of indulging himself in a long kissing session that eventually turns into the hot lovemaking session with Slaine spread under him on the lowered seat and Inaho’s cock sliding in and out of his tight body (Inaho keeps condoms in the glove box too). Thankfully, the highway is empty; no one disturbs their sinful pastime.

They kiss more, then rearrange their clothes and clean the little mess. Slaine’s smile is so distracting that it takes Inaho fifteen minutes to realize that the map is no longer in the car. They must have accidently pushed it out of the open side window while having a playful fight for who will be on top. Inaho considers stopping the car and waiting for another passing car to ask for directions but decides against it. It may be a long wait, and he doesn’t want to disappoint Slaine. Everything should be perfect. He remembers the route, albeit vaguely, and hopes there won’t be any confusing turns.

Slaine starts yawning and soon dozes off (Inaho watches his slightly opened lips and wants to kiss him again); the clouds are slowly gathering in the sky dimming the daylight. Inaho passes several turns without any signs and tries to suppress the feeling of getting lost. An hour later, when the car reaches another grove, the road beneath suddenly turns into a terrible, obviously unkempt country road. Inaho has no choice but to admit defeat.

“Are we there yet?” Slaine rubs his eyes and blinks when he sees they are in the middle of nowhere. Inaho keeps silent for as long as he can, but eventually he has to stop the car. There is no way ahead, only a crowding of rustling trees.

“No, we’ve lost the map when we had sex, and my phone still has no connection. And…”

“And?” Slaine becomes alert fast; his eyes stare at Inaho in suspicion. Inaho feels sad that Slaine’s sleepiness is gone. Inaho loves seeing Slaine relaxed and content.

“And I think I’ve missed the right turn.”

“Great.” Slaine rolls his eyes and stretches. Inaho watches how the fabric of his shirt slides up seductively. “Drive back then. If we’re lucky we’ll meet someone on the highway before evening.”

“About that,” Inaho thinks it was much easier to tell Slaine about his feelings rather than the current situation (consulting books and practicing the speeches for exactly five hundred times in front of the mirror, asking Yuki’s opinion on the matter and as a result planning for a long evening full of romantic moments, including the bed covered with rose petals, and in the end just blurting out ‘I love you. Let’s move in together’ while they were standing under the rain waiting for a bus after a drinking party - how could he ever imagine there would be something more difficult in the future?). “I’m afraid we have a little problem.”

“What kind of problem, _Kaizuka_?” Slaine using his surname usually means he is really irritated or angry. Inaho tries to look absolutely calm (fails, because, as Slaine says, being calmer then he always is makes him look suspicious; Slaine knows him well), though inside he is berating himself for not foreseeing the problem of losing the map. He could’ve made more copies and kept them in his clothes and the car’s trunk and the backseat, or pin them to the sunshield or fold them and stick them to the panel or...

“We’re low on petrol. I didn’t prepare the full tank since I planned to refuel at the petrol station that is close to the resort. The prices seemed cheaper there.”

Slaine covers his eyes, his body tense and posture alert now. The sky above them darkens even more; the wind is rising. Inaho turns the car and leads it back to the highway trying to remember the turns he used.

“So basically we are going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere without any connection and almost zero chance to meet any by-passers because of your frickin’ love of _discounts_?” Slaine grumbles.

“Discounts are useful,” Inaho says in his defense but quickly falls silent. The date is ruined, that much he understands. The only thing he can do now is to somehow get them to safety or find help soon, before Slaine’s anxiety may act up. They ride in silence; Slaine wearily examines the violet clouds above. When the first drops of rain reach their car, the engine finally dies down. Inaho steers the car to the side of the highway and parks it. The field surrounding them is devoid of any signs of human presence; the road ahead blurs under the onset of rain.

“We have food,” Inaho tries to reassure Slaine. “The highway is well-kept so there must be other cars using it.”

Slaine shrugs his shoulders and refuses to talk with him. Inaho gets him a sandwich and a bottle of water from the bag on the backseat, and after Slaine accepts it Inaho ceases the attempts to communicate. He knows sometimes Slaine needs to be left alone to pull himself together. The scars of his past are ugly and inescapable (those that are of heart and mind; the ones on his body Inaho loves just as every other part of Slaine).

The noise of the rain is loud and unmerciful. Slaine shudders when suddenly a loud thunder rolls over the sky. Inaho presses his forehead against the wheel. Everything was supposed to be perfect, and now everything has gone to hell because of him. He’ll have to work hard to persuade Slaine to stay with him. Slaine is the only one whose disappearance Inaho might never survive.

“Oh, for God’s sake, don’t you start looking so depressed, Kaizuka,” Slaine mutters through clenched teeth, not really looking at him. “Yes, the situation is unpleasant, but I’m not a stupid teenager, I can take it.”

Inaho nods fiddling with his phone, but he is not convinced. The story of Slaine’s past still gives him shivers. Years of neglect as a child, years of abuse as a teenager, they don’t simply pass and vanish into nothingness. Slaine is strong, much stronger than most people Inaho had met in his life are, but he is only human. And the last thing Inaho wants for Slaine is to be reminded about the past. But as the twisting lightning overfills the sky and the roaring thunder forces the car to tremble, Inaho knows it is too late.

Slaine takes off his sneakers, climbs fully onto his seat, hugs his legs and hides his face in the small space he created thanks to the pose. Inaho puts his phone into the glove box and wishes for the storm to pass sooner. (“My Dad was a nut-case, Inaho. It would’ve been okay if he was a scientist before he was a father, but it was worse than that. Being a father was kind of a non-existent thing to him. He’d forget about me in no time. I spent most of my childhood in the shed behind the house. He’d put me there and close the door, and I sat there alone for days with almost no water and food gone spoiled. It was dark there and I was always scared, especially if the wind was strong or there was a thunderstorm. And can you imagine, when the authorities found me one day and told me my father was dead - obviously, overworked himself because of his research - I still cried for him.”)

Time passes slowly; the storm passes slowly too. Slaine doesn’t move despite Inaho’s attempts to engage him in conversation. Inaho tries to touch him once, but gets a slap on his palm and Slaine’s hard stare in return. The sea blue eyes are sullen, just like the stormy sky swallowing the wild field around them is. Inaho backs off completely.

The evening descends unhurriedly, and though the wind has calmed down, the rain is still raging; the sight of the highway stays erased. Inaho gets a plaid from the trunk (he packed it planning to have picnics at the resort) and is glad to see Slaine moving at last. Slaine lowers his seat and covers himself with the plaid, preparing for sleep. Inaho puts on his jacket and does the same. The darkness is thick and heavy, hostile; Inaho listens to Slaine’s efforts to control his breathing.

“Slaine,” he doesn’t really know what to say. He is sorry, he is an idiot, he has ruined everything, but he still wants to help. “I’m here.”

Slaine snorts. “Of course you’re here, Kaizuka. Where else would you be? Though if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

The words are harsh and, though realistic, they are painful. Yet before Inaho gets consumed by the foreign feeling Slaine is suddenly reaching for his hand in the darkness, and their fingers entwine. Slaine’s hand is cold; Inaho fights the urge to move closer to warm him.

“I’m sorry, Inaho. I didn’t mean that.” Slaine sounds a bit guilty; his other hand leans to turn on the interior lighting. Slaine’s face looks pale under the modest light. “I’m just… I’m just not okay right now. This is not even about me spending my childhood in a shed and being afraid of thunder. I have yet to tell you about my time at Cruhteo’s house, I promised to.”

“Maybe this is not the best time…” Inaho frowns, putting the edge of the plaid that has slid down back on Slaine’s shoulder.

“I don’t think there is a ‘best time’ for these things, not for me at least. I tend to avoid thinking about them until something happens. Weren’t we stuck up inside that elevator for five hours when I told you about my father?” Slaine smiles a bit, clearly remembering the day (They were getting home late, and were pretty damn lucky someone had found them after 5 a.m. on a Sunday night. Slaine was already sleeping on Inaho’s shoulder after a long and exhausting talk).

“If you’re very sure,” Inaho says at last and tightens his hold on Slaine’s hand.

“Everything is a first with you, Inaho. But I have yet to regret a single thing, so yes, I’m sure.” Slaine tucks his head under Inaho’s chin, and finally Inaho is able to embrace him. The pose is not very comfortable, but Inaho would never complain about such a little thing. Slaine trusts him, and that makes Inaho feel so grateful and happy that the desire to take care of Slaine burns his chest almost painfully. If Inaho knew the way to turn them into one single being that would never separate again he’d gladly do it now.

Slaine closes his eyes and starts talking. Slowly, unsure at first, making pauses, remembering things, reflexing on his own behavior, but then his voice gets steadier and firmer, the emotions die inside, and it amazes Inaho once more how strong Slaine truly is. “He would drag me into the basement and chain me to the wall and use a whip, and when I was on the edge of losing consciousness he’d throw a bucket of ice cold water over me, and everything would start again and again, until I couldn’t take it anymore and I’d start screaming and sobbing and repeating the things he said, that God created us for this, for sharing this pain, and we should not be ignoring our duties, we should rot and plead for his mercy and grace and we should punish our sinful bodies until we walk this earth no more.”

“How did it stop?” Inaho doesn’t even notice how his own voice becomes hoarse.

“There was this kid who lived in the neighborhood, and she had it much worse. I think her parents abused her, sexually, I mean. Sometimes she couldn’t even walk. But when I’d see her she’d always smile. She’d smile and I’d think how strong she is and that I have to bear. And I did.” Slaine’s fingers almost hurt Inaho where they are still entwined. “I did until the police found that girl dead. She hanged herself on a tree, right where the main road led to the village, and she left notes in her pocket, notes that described every ugly thing she knew about the community. Of what was happening to me, of how badly other kids were treated. It caused a great uproar. The police and the authorities came for checks up, and the truth was finally out. That’s how I met Saazbaum. He was in charge of my case, and in the end he took me in. And then there were only good things, sometimes hard, yes, but good. And then I met you.”

“I was hard too,” Inaho remarks, partially to get Slaine away from the painful topic.

“That you were. Three years of dating, two years of mind-blowing sex, a year of almost living together, and you were still as tight-lipped as the first time I met you. I was getting desperate, you know,” Slaine chuckles.

Before Inaho says he is sorry, Slaine moves in his arms and presses his lips to his. The kiss is light and soft and doesn’t last. Slaine kisses the side of his chin then and whispers, “You’re you, and I love you for who you are. So even if you get us stranded in a hellhole, I won’t stop loving you.”

They stay silent, listening to the rain and sharing the simple touch. After some time Slaine reaches to turn the light off and they try to sleep. Inaho awakes though when he hears Slaine rummaging in the glove box. It’s still dark; the sunrise is two or three hours away.

“Are there condoms left?” Slaine asks after hearing the rustling of Inaho’s jacket as he moves to stretch a bit.

“Yes, why?” Inaho wonders sleepily and helps Slaine to find the desired object.

“I think I want to take vengeance on you for getting us here and making me talk, and by that I mean to have sex with you and fuck you into oblivion,” Slaine says in a breath, and Inaho can almost feel his devilish smile.

“Energetic, aren’t you?” Inaho states stoically. “I don’t mind, just let me take off my pants. I don’t want to get them dirty.” 

Slaine laughs; the short and happy sound reverberates through Inaho’s body, causing the first traces of arousal to come to life.

“Why do I even find you sexy, Kaizuka, is beyond me.”

Inaho puts aside his underwear, jeans and jacket and wants to crawl onto the backseat as it seems more comfortable for their planned activity, but Slaine stops him right when Inaho turns his naked ass to him (of course, not intentionally, Inaho repeats to himself). The hands caress Inaho’s backside and thighs longingly, and Inaho moves a bit back to feel Slaine’s hard cock still hidden under his jeans. Slaine takes in a deep breath, and from then on things spiral in the usual way.

In truth, Inaho loves being in control of things in bed. Slaine is the only one Inaho allows this, allows to turn himself into an unthinking hot mess of limbs, limbs that are only able to move towards Slaine to meet his thrusts. It is a bit painful for Inaho with only the condom on and no lube, but Slaine waits, waits patiently and kisses his back as if Inaho is the only one who matters in the whole world, and soon Inaho forgets about the pain. He presses his forehead into the seat and listens to Slaine’s fast breathing and moans Slaine tries to hold back, and the curses when Slaine’s elbows accidently knock against the car’s roof.

When Slaine is close, Inaho feels his feverish kisses and bites all over his left shoulder.

“God, I love you, Inaho, I love you so much. I love you. I love you. I love you.” And before the process ends Slaine suddenly withdraws, makes Inaho turn over and shoves an unopened condom into his hand. Inaho blinks, trying to gather his thoughts. “Change with me, now. I want to feel you too.”

Inaho’s hands are trembling a bit but he manages to roll the condom onto his cock, and the moment he does that Slaine takes it and lowers himself on him, and Inaho has to grab Slaine’s waist fast to prevent him from moving immediately, because Inaho is at his limit too.

They pant, trying to see each other through the darkness, and then Slaine starts moving, and Inaho helps him and teases his cock after he gets it out of the condom, and Slaine is almost sobbing by the time he comes all over Inaho’s crumpled and sweaty shirt. Inaho comes not much later, only two or three more hard thrusts and the ones riding out the pleasure, and then he feels completely undone.

“I see lights,” Slaine mumbles while he is pleasantly crushing Inaho under his weight.

“I saw lights too,” Inaho agrees. They have sex often and often in different positions and they practice switching too, but so far this round seems like one of the greatest ones to Inaho.

“No, Kaizuka, I mean, there are car lights. Dammit, where are my pants? We both can’t go out like this!” Slaine panics and they both try to find and put on their clothes, but by the time Slaine is ready to jump outside the large truck passes their sightless car on a fast speed. Slaine waves his hands and screams for it to stop, but the rain is still hard and it’s dark, so the only thing he manages in the end is to get wet.

Slaine opens the door and looks at Inaho as the interior light turns on once again. Slaine looks absolutely tired; water is running down his hair and face and down Inaho’s own pants (they must have confused their clothes in the dark).

“Get back in,” Inaho commands, “You’re completely soaked. We have to warm you up.”

“At least it feels like a real shower,” Slaine mutters letting Inaho pull him inside and dry him with a clean cloth Inaho takes from the trunk (Inaho is thankful he packed a lot of things). “Hey, why are you dressing me in your spare shirt? My shoulders are broader.”

Inaho blinks realizing his mistake, but he is too tired to argue.

“You look good in my clothes,” he says (a half-truth, because Slaine looks good in any clothes, naked too, even if the said clothes is a little bit tight on him) and wraps them both into the plaid. Slaine nests under his arm, and Inaho uses the momentum to kiss the back of his neck and the wet tips of his hair. Outside the downpour continues, although the sky slowly gets a bit lighter; the morning is not far away.

Slaine slides his hand slowly down Inaho’s arm as if wanting to feel its presence; his nails send shivers running down Inaho’s skin.

“You know, Inaho, after what I went through at Cruhteo’s, above all things I hate being helpless, powerless, to find myself in situations where I can’t be in control. It scares me,” the words are said in a whisper, yet Inaho is glad that Slaine stays relaxed. “I’m sorry I freaked out earlier. You should know I trust you.”

“You’re not alone this time,” Inaho tries to reassure Slaine and gets a gentle kiss and then a light bite to his fingers in response.

“Yes, I’m not. You’re here with me.” As Slaine smiles - Inaho can feel his lips under his palm - infinite warmth spreads inside his chest. Despite the not quite comfortable pose he drifts asleep easily. Sometimes he can feel Slaine moving in his arms and he tightens his hold, and sometimes he gets a soft kiss or a sleepy mumble in return and through the dreamy haze he thinks that it’s the best kind of morning.

The rain lessens considerably after noon. Slaine sleepily munches on a sandwich while Inaho picks up the crumbs and watches the way Slaine’s hair stick out to all sides. If Yuki was here she’d probably say that he is totally, completely in love, and Inaho would agree. There is something absolutely special in the way Slaine holds the bottle of water and in the grumpy sounds he makes while trying to wake up. Slaine definitely isn’t a morning person. Not that it surprises Inaho after the story Slaine told him about Cruhteo and his strict regime (Inaho wants to strangle the man, but it seems like Saazbaum got to him first; Slaine said he had shot Cruhteo during the ‘attempted escape’ and no one really questioned if the shot had to be made).

Suddenly Slaine stops chewing, his cheek puffy because of the large bite he did. “Inaho, do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Inaho turns to look at the highway but it is still empty, almost covered by the water flow. 

“I think I heard a dog whimpering.” Slaine carefully puts away his sandwich, finds his sneakers and, before Inaho can stop him, rushes out of the car. Inaho shoves half of his body out of the open door to watch Slaine, but the nasty drizzle forces him to rethink his decision. Slaine slowly gets off the road and almost disappears among the swarm of the green grass. Inaho, however, is able to hear his curses when he slips on the wet earth and gets entirely swallowed by the field (the last time Slaine tried to argue with Inaho that he is not clumsy was when they successfully had mind-blowing sex in the most awkward positions possible, and afterwards, when Slaine was coming back from the kitchen with the much needed water, he encountered a sly slipper, and as a result poured the said water all over Inaho and their bed. “That… doesn’t count,” Slaine muttered back then, failing to hide his flushed face).

Anticipating Slaine’s sorry state Inaho gets distracted and pokes around in the trunk for one more set of clean and dry clothes. He is definitely not ready to see what he sees when he turns around hearing the car door being opened. Slaine is back, and that is good, but whatever he holds in his hands is simply impossible. Slaine looks at Inaho; Inaho looks at Slaine; the little dog - all black and brown - yelps trying to get more of Slaine’s warm hands.

“Looks like a German shepherd puppy,” Slaine’s voice has the utmost undertones of _‘I’m taking him in, and you can’t stop me’_. The wet puppy face looks at Inaho in the same cautious, but determined way _‘I love this guy already, and you can’t stop me’_. Inaho silently pulls a towel out of the trunk and gives it to Slaine. Slaine accepts it with a smile and starts working on the wet fur. The puppy trembles, obviously tired, but seems very happy to feel Slaine’s careful touch. “Some asshole must have dumped him out in the field. I wonder how he has survived all this rain.”

Inaho patiently waits for Slaine to finish on the puppy so that he could start working on Slaine himself. Slaine places the puppy onto the backseat, and finally Inaho can pull the dirty clothes off him. The sight of the naked scarred chest makes his hands still; Inaho leaves tender kisses there.

“Jealous already, aren’t you?” Slaine’s amusement quickly turns into panting as Inaho kisses his way down his chest and belly and lower, until his yet soft cock gets captured by Inaho’s lips. “Nnnn, ‘Naho… Why do we always have sex in the strangest of places?”

(The most shameful bit of sex they had happened when they were using the bus at the rush hour, because their car had broken, and they couldn’t help being pressed into each other. Slaine got hard first; his cheeks turned into a fine tomato color, and it was all that took Inaho to forget about any common sense. He held Slaine’s hips under his long T-shirt and slowly moved against him. It was a miracle no one had noticed anything, and they both had to return home instead of their planned walk at the park, and Slaine was angry at Inaho for two whole days, until they both decided that, despite the shame, it was worth it)

Honestly, Inaho loves having sex in the strangest of places, yet since one of the best things in the world for him is feeling how Slaine’s cock grows hard in his mouth, he stays silent and continues to pleasure him. Slaine’s hands find their way into his hair and pull him closer, and Inaho allows him to set the desired pace. It is when Slaine comes into his mouth that he swallows and suddenly has the thought that has been avoiding him for some time. The realization is so clear and simple that Inaho once again feels like an idiot; even his own arousal hurries to deflate.

Trying to swallow the last drops of Slaine’s come, Inaho says, “Let’s get married.”

“Holy shiiiiit!” Slaine moans, but before he is able to say anything, the noise from the backseat makes them both turn their heads. The puppy has found Slaine’s unfinished sandwich and, too much enthusiastic about having food, has dropped it onto the floor. Inaho looks back at Slaine but his attention moves immediately onto the side window. The lights of the approaching car seem like a blessing. Inaho leaves Slaine to dress into the fresh clothes and goes outside to signal to the car to stop.

They get lucky. An old couple Inaho meets is very kind. They have a spare container of fuel, and they also present Inaho with their map. Inaho finds out that he had indeed chosen the wrong turn. But now they’ll be able to get to the nearest petrol station without any adventures. Slaine hurries from the car to say his thanks, and soon they are alone again, standing close to each other under the unchanging grey sky.

Halfway to the station Slaine finally breaks the silence. At this point Inaho has no hope to receive any kind of an answer; he thinks maybe he is too pushy, or maybe it is too soon, or maybe Slaine needs a more reliable person, or maybe - maybe he is a fool and what he dreams of will never be. The puppy is happily lying on Slaine’s knees, sated and warm and probably feeling safe under the gentle caresses Slaine bestows upon him. For a moment Inaho feels truly jealous.

“If I had to go through all the hardships just to meet you in the end, I would go through them again and again,” Slaine says quietly, looking at Inaho in a way he looks at him sometimes when he awakens in the dead of the night and Inaho is there to hold him, and Slaine’s eyes shine with mysterious calmness. “Yes, let’s get married, Inaho. Let’s be a family. I want to.”

Inaho has to stop the car because something inside him - a wild mixture of happiness and unfathomed pain - becomes too much. He leans his arms and forehead against the steering wheel to hide his face. He is not crying, no, but for the first time in his life he is so close to it, his eyes burn mercilessly. Slaine ruffles his hair and caresses the back of his head while Inaho tries to cope with the sudden emotions.

He doesn’t know how much time passes. When he thinks he can breathe again he leads the car back on the highway. Slaine leaves his hand on Inaho’s thigh as if he wants to pet Inaho just like he does with the puppy, but, unfortunately, Inaho is too big to be embraced so easily. Inaho thinks the words Slaine says next are more to get them back to the cheerful talking rather than to hint at his failed attempt to organize their date.

“But don’t even think of arranging anything! I’ll do it myself!” Slaine smiles and Inaho thinks he’ll let him arrange anything he wants: their wedding, their home, their whole life. Anything, as long as they are together.

“How about naming the dog ‘Sleipnir’?” Inaho asks remembering the Norse mythology books Slaine loves to read.

“Like a… an eight-legged horse?” Slaine’s eyes instantly turn into slits. “Over my dead body.”

In Slaine’s arms the puppy lazily yawns in agreement.


End file.
